Movie Ketchup.

Before the holidays began I had been a little behind in my movie watching; I still am actually. But this time off has allowed for a little more movie time. The strange thing is that now I'm on the verge of fatherhood and my perspective is starting to skew.

Take 1: DVD's. I rented "The 40-Year Old Virgin" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" last week; both pretty good. VIRGIN was hilarious, with defintely some classic moments. It was the Unrated virgin, uh, version so I'm not sure what was new to the DVD, but it was more raucous and vulgar than I had imagined. 3 years ago I might not have said the same thing. SMITH was smart and had some well-crafted action sequences; but I couldn't help but wonder, "Could Lyndsey be a hired assassin?" She always comes home tired after work and has a propensity for lists of detailed wonder. Hmm?

Take 2: In Theaters. Had a 2-for-1 day with "The Chronicls of Narnia" and "Syriana" last week. NARNIA I really had no interest in seeing. Hadn't read the books, and the previews didn't tell me what anything was about. It had done so well, and the timing was perfect for my 2-for-1 day that I had to check it out. Great. Great. Great. I was sucked in immediately through the conflict and misunderstanding of the 4 children. No one believes Lucy and her adventure in the wardrobe, Edwards constant bickering with Peter, and his introduction to the White Witch just killed me. The idea of the Witch luring Edward into her carriage with candy made me think of all those horror stories of child abductions. "Come here little girl, I'll give you a ride home." OH MY GOD! My Parental Guidance level shot through the roof. Needless to say I got way too involved in that film but it was a great ride. SYRIANA was a completely different type of film. A great film, yes, some extremely intense moments and excellent writing. In one scene, and I'm not really giving anything away, a child dies in a swimming pool with a loose electrical circuit. A Child. A Swimming Pool. Scared me to pieces! Lesson: Do not go into a swimming pool at night that does not have a light on inside of it. A complicated picture about Oil and Foreign nations, and this is the scene that struck me.

Take 3: King Kong. Though their aren't necessarily any kids in this movie, one could easily argue that KONG is just a big kid in this picture. That moment on the cliffside when Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) does her vaudeville routine for KONG was sheer pleasure. His giddiness, his laughter, his playful side is done so well, I couldn't help but picture myself cooing and giggling and making faces for our little baby and watching the joy in their eyes. I mean, I do that when I play with our dog, Ranger. It's fantastic! Their are truly some precious moments in this delicate and adventurous film. 3 years ago I might have said the most pleasurable moment was the Kong v. T.Rex fight...that was actually the 3rd best moment.